Sleeping Beauty
by The Spirit Of Delphi
Summary: There is a castle in the distance who no one has entered in 100 years but the Prince is determined.
"Is that a castle?"

I turned from the window of my bedchamber to look at the servant who just spoke. He was a scrawny kid who I didn't recognise, ' _must be new'_ I thought to myself. Normally I wouldn't speak to the help, but the kid obviously hadn't heard the story of the castle you could barely see from my window so I replied to his question.

"Yes, it is a castle."

"Who lives there and why have I never noticed before?"

"You can only really see it from this window and as to your question on who lives there, that is a long story."

Once upon a time there lived a princess who had not turned one yet, but was still the cause for a grand celebration. Everyone in the kingdom was invited to the christening, even the seven fairies that roamed the realm they lived in where invited and then requested to become the Childs' godmothers, thought his was only done so the princess would be given gifts from these fairies. After the christening of the little princess a great banquet was held in honour of the fairies, where each of the fairies had a special place for each of them made out of gold. But just as they were sitting down another fairy came in, one that was more aged then the rest whom everyone thought was dead.

A place was set for her, but it wasn't as grand as the rest for they only had seven places made for the fairies. The aged fairy began to grow angry under her skin; she thought this was done to spite her. After the meal was done the fairies stood to bestow their gifts on the princess, but the aged fairy had a devious plan.

Princess Aurora sat quietly in her mothers' arms as beautiful, winged people came up to her. The first saying that she would be the most beautiful person in the whole world; the second, that she would have the temper of an angel; the third, that she would do everything with wonderful grace; the fourth, that she would dance to perfection; the fifth, that she would sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she would play every kind of music with the utmost skill.

But then the princess landed her eyes on a fairy that did not look like the others, for she had aged skin and a mean glare, and she started to squirm. The aged fairy looked at Aurora and declared that her gift to the princess would be before she turned sixteen she would prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning and die from it. The aged fairy then stormed out of the castle leaving behind a trail of smoke.

Aurora's mother the queen started stressing and was on the verge of tears when the seventh fairy came up to the baby. She had not yet given her gift to the princess and so she told them, "my power is not enough to prevent the curse, she will indeed prick her finger on a spinning wheel but she will not die, merely sleep for a hundred years until a prince comes to the heart of the castle to wake her."

The king and queen were glad that she would not die but were saddened at the thought of her being asleep for a hundred years.

Throughout the day, I reflected on the story of the castle. I'd always thought one day I would be the prince that would awaken her, but I would not go to the wall of thorns that surrounded the castle just yet, I didn't think I was ready just yet even though my heart raced thinking about seeing the beautiful princess.

While at the dinner table and enduring another lecture from the parental figures about choosing a bride, I decided then and there I would go tomorrow to the castle and see if I was the one to break the princess's curse.

That night I wrote down a list of everything I would need so I wouldn't forget anything the following morning. As I was writing it my hands shook with excitement; not everybody gets to go on an adventure.

Princess Aurora walked through the castle greeting all the servants as she walked past. They all complimented on beautiful she was today or congratulating on her wonderful singing she did last night at dinner for her parents, at this she would smile politely and bow her head modestly and then continue walking.

The reason for her walking was because it was her sixteenth birthday tomorrow and, according to her personal maid, also the day she would fall into a deep sleep. Her maid didn't know what the cause was; she had just heard the rumours that had started on the day of her christening. The princess in question was on her way to her mother who was in her chambers.

As she passed a doorway she heard squeaking and mumbling. Aurora could only here a few words that sounded like "how dare...royals, trying to keep... from spinning."

The princess was intrigued and so went into the room where she saw a lady crouched over a wooden spinning structure; this was the object creating the squeaking.

"What is that?" Aurora asked.

The spinning halted and the lady turned. She had a withered face and was frowning at Aurora greatly. ' _She must not have realised I am the princess'_ thought Aurora to herself. The woman then motioned her over with her hands."It's a spinning wheel."

The princess walked over and touched the wheel. "Ouch." She pulled back her hand, she had pricked her finger and even though it was only a small wound she began to feel light headed.

"Are you okay?" The lady asked.

"No, I don't feel so well." She stumbled out into the hallway and collapsed on the floor.

It was an interesting feeling, because despite the fact that she was not quite conscious Aurora knew what was happening around her. Servants were calling for help, one checking her pulse and others also standing around asking what was happening. The doctor then arrived and she was taken to her chambers and placed on the bed.

Her mother and father came in and after a few minutes of sobs coming from her mother they began to tell her the story of her christening day, and mentioned that the fairy told them Aurora would be able to hear them in the first few hours of her cursed state. They told her of a prince who would one day come to her rescue and until then she would have pleasant dreams and when she awoke, all would be right again.

I walked towards the wall of thorns and was confident that I could get past this obstacle that was between him and a beautiful woman. As I approached the thorns parted and a path was made to the door of the castle for me. I didn't dare look back but kept my head held high, my back straight and my sword in my left hand; just in case.

As I walked through the foyer of the castle his first thought was that it was in desperate need for a sweep, dust and polish. There was cob webs everywhere and- hang on... were those dead bodies. I walked over to the form and was relieved to see the chest of the man moving.

"Asleep on the job, typical" I muttered _._

I made my way through the castle until I came upon a door that was slightly ajar. I didn't know how I knew that this was the right door, but I knew and so opened the door the full way and beheld the sight I saw in front of me.

A woman with beautiful blond hair was asleep on the raised bed; her hands folded on her belly. As if sensing someone was in the room she took a deeper breath and shifted slightly. I walked over to her bedside and gazed at the beauty of the sleeping form. _'If she wakes up, that means I'm the foretold prince after all'_. I grinned to myself; knew it.

Her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened. "I knew you would come for me, just as she said you would."


End file.
